Charles Mingus and his music gave the impression of howling assurance and terrifying emotions. His bass echoed like a giant’s threat, to be soothed by his balmy melodies…He was dogmatic, pensive, demagogoic, irreverent, furious, nostalgic…He is the best example we have of disciplined turmoil.

—Gary Giddins, from Visions of Jazz

On midwest radio nights around the middle of the previous century teenagers up past their bedtime could pull in clear-channel stations like CKLW in Toronto, WLS in Chicago, and WLW in Cincinnati which, legend had it, beamed a signal so powerful it could be picked up on backyard fences and, some said, on the fillings in your teeth. In a college town 200 miles south of Chicago, a high school sophomore listening to a station in Dallas/Fort Worth on “a little crackerbox AM radio” picked up the music that changed his life. more

David Reinfurt, lecturer in the Program in Visual Arts in the Lewis Center for the Arts at Princeton University, has been awarded a 2016 Rome Prize Fellowship, given to scholars in the arts and humanities for the creation of independent work while living for a period of six months to two years at the American Academy in Rome. Reinfurt, one of 31 recipients of the Rome Prize, has been awarded the Mark Hampton Rome Prize to work on the project Design as Art: Bruno Munari and Adriano Olivetti. more

ALL-STAR ARTISTS AT PRINCETON: Pictured above is a large-scale painting by senior Veronica Nicholson, one of the artists to be featured in the Senior All-Star Show at the Lewis Center’s Lucas Gallery at Princeton University. (Photo by Veronica Nicholson)

The Program in Visual Arts in the Lewis Center for the Arts at Princeton University will present an exhibition of recent work in a wide range of media by graduating seniors in the program. The exhibition, Senior All-Star Show, will highlight work by students completed as part of their senior thesis projects and will be on view until Tuesday, May 31 in the Lucas Gallery at 185 Nassau Street. The exhibition is free and open to the public. more

On Friday, May 20 at 8 p.m., The Arts Council of Princeton presents Tom Tallitsch in a CD Release concert for his newest work entitled “Gratitude,” an energetic journey of original compositions and arrangements of well-known classic rock songs in an acoustic quartet setting. Paul Robeson Center for the Arts is located at 102 Witherspoon Street, Princeton. Admission is $12 general audience and $10 for ACP members, students, and seniors. Tickets are available at the door 30 minutes before show time on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, visit artscouncilofprinceton.org or call (609) 924-8777.

THE SKY IS THE LIMIT: On May 10, the Princeton Symphony Orchestra’s (PSO) BRAVO! education program presented “The Sky is the Limit!,” a concert designed to get the imaginations of over 2,000 area school children soaring with works ranging from Ottorini Respighi’s “The Hen,” Nikolaï Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Flight of the Bumblebee,” Daniel Dorff’s “Blast Off!,” and Gustav Holst’s “Mars.” These works, plus an unofficial world record, a surprise narration from a school teacher, and an unexpected composer’s visit combined for a fun field trip for the orchestra.

On Tuesday, May 10, at 9:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., and 1:15 p.m. at Richardson Auditorium, the Princeton Symphony Orchestra’s (PSO) BRAVO! education program presented “The Sky is the Limit!”, a concert designed to get the imaginations of over 2,000 area school children soaring with works ranging from Ottorini Respighi’s The Hen, Nikolaï Rimsky-Korsakov’s Flight of the Bumblebee, Daniel Dorff’s Blast Off! and Gustav Holst’s Mars. Music Director Rossen Milanov conducted as he guided the students through the upper stratosphere and beyond. more

Izzy Kasdin, the new executive director of the Historical Society of Princeton (HSP), credits the awakening of her passion for history to the popular dolls that came with detailed, historically accurate background stories. While American Girl has since shifted its focus to a more contemporary model, Ms. Kasdin, whose appointment was announced this month, remains devoted to history — specifically of Princeton, the town in which she was raised. more

IN THE SWING: Princeton Day School baseball player Ryan Augustus follows through on a swing in recent action. Last Monday, senior outfielder Augustus helped PDS top Holy Cross 9-0 as it improved to 10-4. PDS will be starting play in the state Prep B tournament this week, where it is seeded second and will host No. 7 Wardlaw Hartridge in a quarterfinal game on May 12. The semis are slated for May 17 with the championship game set for May 19. The Panthers are also scheduled to play regular season games at Nottingham on May 13 and at Hamilton on May 16. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

It was a spectacular catch worthy of the ESPN SportsCenter Top 10 as Princeton Day School star Ryan Augustus crashed into the left field fence at full speed to track down a long fly in the fifth inning last Thursday against Nottingham in the MCT quarterfinals. more

On Monday, May 23rd jaZams will host Wayne Pacelle, President & CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, and Patrick McDonnell, author of the MUTTS comic strip, in coversation about Mr. Pacelle’s new book The Humane Economy. The event will be held at 6:30 p.m. at jaZams’ pop-up event space at 30 Nassau St. (next to lululemon).

During his 17 years with The HSUS Mr. Pacelle has transformed the organization from what was once regrded as simply a protector of dogs and cats into a dynamic public force and voice for all animals. He is amplifying that voice through the publication of The Humane Economy: How Innovators and Enlightened Consumers Are Transforming the Lives of Animals. In it Mr. Pacelle describes a revolution in American business and public policy that is changing forever how we treat animals and conduct commerce.

This informal conversation led by Mr. McDonnell, an avid animal lover and board member of The HSUS, will explore how companies as varied as Walmart and Chipolte as well as government entities like the National Institutes of Health are transforming the way they see and use animals.

Copies of The Humane Economy can be preordered from jaZams (ph. 609.924.8697) and will available at the event. Mr. Pacelle will be available to sign books and answer questions both before and after the conversation. more

BEST IN SHOW: Since 1941, SAVE has been dedicated to strengthening the human-animal bond. Recently, SAVE moved to its new headquarters and shelter in Skillman. The state-of-the-art facilities provide the animals in residence with the best temporary home while they await adoption. Featured in Photo (from left to right): Piper Burrows, Executive Director; Adelle Scharloo, Development Associate; Pam Murdoch, SAVE Board President; and Sarajane Mackenzie, and SAVE Trustee Cat, Timmy.

On Saturday, May 14, from 6 to 11 p.m., SAVE, A Friend to Homeless Animals, is hosting its 16th Annual Gala Benefit, Best in Show,at the Princeton airport. A festive evening of cocktails and dinner, a live and silent auction, dancing, and a 50/50 raffle will attract 275 guests. more

In this case the son is the Town Topics photographer and the mother is Dorothy Plohn, shown helping out during the Mother’s Day weekend event, “Morven in May: A Celebration of Art, Craft and Garden.” (Photo by Charles R. Plohn)

Following a special May 2 workshop on the 2016 municipal budget, Princeton Council voted Monday to adopt the proposed figure of $61.9 million.

The proposal had originally called for an amendment raising taxes in order to increase the town’s surplus by $150,000, but that amendment was tabled in favor of changes recommended by the Citizens Finance Advisory Committee and municipal staff. Those changes include some cuts, as well as putting off the purchase of a police car and delaying a hire for the Sewer Operating Committee, among other measures. more

The Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) has rejected Senator Kip Bateman (R-16) and Assemblyman Reed Gusciora’s (D-15) request to meet with representatives of the IAS Board concerning the Institute’s faculty housing project, “to discuss alternatives and a possible resolution of this controversy.”

Institute director Robbert Dijkgraaf, in his response Friday, stated that the legislators’ letter “seems to be part of a larger publicity effort to discredit the Institute and mischaracterize its project.” more

On Saturday, May 7, McCarter Theatre hosted its annual Gala Benefit, that supports McCarter’s artistic and educational programs in Princeton. This year’s event was fashioned on the theme of Truman Capote’s 1960s “Black & White Ball,” with a silent auction, a post-concert party, music, and dancing. more

Images of police in the news media and in the public imagination are often negative С depicting at best enforcement and at worst brutality. Think Baltimore, Chicago, New York, Ferguson С and so many other conflict locations throughout the country.

Princeton Chief of Police Nick Sutter sees vast changes in the nature of police work in the 21st century and the need for new approaches to the job. more

On Wednesday, May 18 at 7:30 p.m., the Arts Council of Princeton presents the Goldberg Lecture in architecture featuring architect Shirley Blumberg. The lectures in architecture are held in memory of Bunny and David Goldberg. more

DESTRUCTIVE INVADER: The emerald ash borer recently arrived in Princeton. It can potentially destroy all of the town’s ash trees. Princeton Shade Tree Commission and the town Council are preparing to propose a plan to combat the infestation of this beetle, which originated in Asia.

An infestation of the emerald ash borer (EAB), a beetle that is killing ash trees in 25 states, has struck Princeton, demanding action by Municipal Council, the Princeton Shade Tree Commission (STC) and property owners. Since first discovered in Detroit in 2002, the invasive pests have killed hundreds of millions of trees in this country, that now includes an unspecified number in Princeton. more

Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart, the girls’ independent day school in Princeton, announces that Lynne Brum will join Stuart as the new director of institutional advancement beginning July 1.

Ms. Brum comes to Stuart from the Whitby School in Greenwich, Connecticut, where she has been the director of development for the past four years. more

In a deal announced last week, The Bank of Princeton is being merged into the Short Hills-based Investors Bancorp. The agreement provides a combination of stock and cash with a value of $154 million for Bank of Princeton stockholders. more

A little over a year ago, the morning after Donald Trump announced his candidacy, a Photoshopped image of his red-nosed circus-clown face filled the front page of the Daily News next to the massive headline CLOWN RUNS FOR PREZ. A little over a week ago, the day after Trump won the Indiana primary and became the presumptive Republican nominee, the front page of the same newspaper showed a piggy-bank-sized GOP elephant in a coffin with the words “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to mourn the death of a once-great political party, killed by epidemic of Trump.” more

Harvard sociologist and MacArthur “Genius” Matthew Desmond will be discussing his new book, Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City at Labyrinth Books on Wednesday, May 18 at5:30 p.m.

Based on years of embedded fieldwork, Evicted tells the story of eight families and their landlords in the poorest neighborhoods of Milwaukee. Even in the most desolate areas of American cities, evictions used to be rare. But today, most poor renting families are spending more than half of their income on housing, and eviction has become ordinary, especially for single mothers, and disproportionately for minorities. more

Captain Leland Emerson will recount his life aboard a whaling ship and encounters with the infamous “Mocha Dick” as part of the Friends of the Lawrence Library’s Open House at 2 p.m. on Thursday, May 12 at 2751 Brunswick Pike, Lawrenceville. For more information, call (609) 989-6920.

The Capital City Book Fair is a two-day literary explosion in downtown Trenton. Organized by Classics Books and the Trenton Downtown Association, the Book Fair will line the streets with authors and booksellers, and feature events including signings by Pulitzer Prize winning authors, a poetry slam, a literary-themed tour of Trenton, live music, Scrabble, and free books for Trenton kids. more

“BIG FAT HAIRY DEAL”: The Hunterdon Art Museum’s basketry exhibition features creations made with unconventional materials like the hardware cloth, hair curlers, and cable ties that Emily Dvorin used in her basket, pictured here.

The works created by the 22 artists highlighted in the Hunterdon Art Museum’s (HAM) exhibition, “Interconnections: The Language of Basketry,” include everything from stapled paper to fabricated metal. Some employ found objects; others utilize clay, linen, or wire. Works range from a large interactive floor sculpture to a small intricate construction of metal and paper, but all are united by an inventive approach to an ancient craft. more

The Hunterdon County Historical Society announces a rare opportunity to view the quilt collection on Saturday, May 21 at 11 a.m. at the state-of-the art climate-controlled archive building located at 67 River Road in Flemington. Dana Balsamo, certified quilt appraiser and quilt historian will pull quilts from the collection to explore the fabrics, designs, and history of the textiles and their relationship to the County’s history. more